FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT GRAND SLAM - PAGE 3

Kevin Reimer's first career grand slam Friday night was an indication of things to come this weekend for the Milwaukee Brewers outfielder.Four times in a three-game set against the Orioles, Reimer came to the plate with the bases loaded. Nine RBI later, the Brewers took their first series win on the road this season.Reimer's slam paced Friday's 9-3 Milwaukee victory. In Saturday's 5-4, 14-inning loss, he delivered a two-run single with the bases loaded.And yesterday, he launched the Brewers' 9-1 drubbing with a two-run single with the bases loaded against Fernando Valenzuela in the third.

By Jeff Zrebiec and Jeff Zrebiec,jeff.zrebiec@baltsun.com | May 30, 2009

When he was at the plate in the fifth inning, Orioles catcher Matt Wieters stepped out of the batter's box to allow the applause from the frenzied crowd to grow louder. It was his night, so it seemed the least that the 23-year-old could do for one of his new teammates. Wieters' efforts were rewarded when Luke Scott finally emerged from the home dugout and briefly acknowledged the curtain call and the chants of "Luuuuke" with a quick wave. Scott did the impossible Friday night, overshadowing the much-anticipated major league debut of the Orioles' top prospect.

NEW YORK -- Call it U.S. Open warfare. Or call it whining by some of the world's richest athletes. In what has become as traditional to this tournament as strawberries and cream are to Wimbledon, the players are trashing the place again.Verbally, that is.It's not just young foreigners such as Andrei Medvedev who are not used to the clamor of New York and the clutter of the National Tennis Center. Many Open veterans, including some former champions, are taking their shots as well."It's probably the most difficult to win of all four [Grand Slam events]

SEATTLE -- Composed of veterans who've experienced lots of highs and lows, the Orioles rarely are affected by defeat, acting the same way after losses as they do after victories.But the wrenching 9-6 loss to Seattle on Thursday night got to them. One out away from a victory that would've left the Orioles only three games behind the New York Yankees in the AL East and a full game ahead in the wild-card race, closer Randy Myers gave up a grand slam to Mark Whiten.As the ball rose toward the right-field stands, Bobby Bonilla raced to the wall and leaped, even as Whiten's homer carried some 20 or 30 feet over his head.

CLEVELAND -- Chris Hoiles understands that one day can't change an entire season, or alter a career. But he also knows that what happened to him 48 hours ago can be more that just a temporary reprieve.Hoiles' numbers suggested a refresher course in Rochester might have been in order, though manager John Oates says the thought never crossed his mind. The young catcher had a batting average that was under two dollars (.198) and his two home runs had produced only four runs batted in.Then, with one swing of the bat the RBI count doubled and before the day was over Hoiles had left an impressive reminder of his offensive potential.

WIMBLEDON, England - Forget Wimbledon's whiners. Ignore the championship pretenders. Until further notice, Wimbledon is running on Pete Sampras time. Tennis' grass-court king opens defense of his Wimbledon crown on Centre Court today against Jiri Vanek, beginning a march that he hopes will lead to a seventh men's championship and record 13th Grand Slam trophy. When it comes to making tennis history, Sampras adamantly refuses to be rushed. "I don't look at the record as something I want to get over with," he said last week during final preparations for a Wimbledon campaign that could take him past Australia's Roy Emerson as the all-time Grand Slam king.

WILMINGTON, Del. -- The setting will be similar, a steamy afternoon that will only add to playing in the heat of the final round in a major championship. This time, even more might be at stake for Juli Inkster.Buoyed by her victory in the U.S. Women's Open three weeks ago, Inkster will be going after something other than just another major championship here in the McDonald's LPGA Championship at DuPont Country Club.Inkster will be chasing a piece of history, trying to follow Hall-of-Famers Pat Bradley and Mickey Wright as the only other LPGA players to have won all four Grand Slam events in their careers.

WIMBLEDON, England -- The Wimbledon Championships were put right yesterday by a hacking woman playing wondrous tennis.No. 1 seed Steffi Graf, the only player, man or woman, to live up to her ranking during this fortnight, overcame a cough, sniffles and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario to win a seventh singles title on Wimbledon's Centre Court lawn."

Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo keeps hoping his team's offense develops some consistency and takes some pressure off its starting pitching. But for now, his starters are showing no signs of buckling. Long before Nick Markakis' first career grand slam touched down in the right-field seats in the eighth inning last night, breaking open a game that shouldn't have been close, Erik Bedard became the latest Orioles starter to seize control of a game. Royals@Orioles Tonight, 7:05, MASN, 105.7 FM Starters: Odalis Perez (0-2, 10.80)

The U.S. Open captured the imagination a year ago. Australian Patrick Rafter revived the exquisite serve-and-volley game while winning the U.S. Open, his first career Grand Slam; and Venus Williams breathed new life into the women's game. As her beaded hair clickity-clacked, she took center stage and became the first unseeded woman in 39 years to reach the Open final, before losing to No. 1 Martina Hingis.Now the Open is again ready to see history made. But will it?As the two-week tournament begins tomorrow in New York, No. 1 seed Pete Sampras is just one win shy of Roy Emerson's record 12 Grand Slam victories.